Wiktionary

alter

See also: Alter, älter, and alter-

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Old French alterer (French altérer), from Medieval Latin alterāre (“to make other”), from Latin alter (“the other”), from al- (seen in alius (“other”), alienus (“of another”), etc.; see alias, alien, etc.) + compar. suffix -ter.

Verb

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alter (third-person singular simple present alters, present participle altering, simple past and past participle altered)

  1. (transitive) To change the form or structure of.
    Near-synonym: tweak
  2. (intransitive) To become different.
    • 1865, Walt Whitman, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”, in Sequel to Drum-Taps: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d and other poems:
      […] Passing the song of the hermit bird and the tallying song of my soul, / Victorious song, death’s outlet song, yet varying ever-altering song, […]
  3. (transitive) To tailor clothes to make them fit.
  4. (transitive) To castrate, neuter or spay (a dog or other animal).
  5. (transitive) To affect mentally, as by psychotropic drugs or illness.
Alternative forms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Further reading

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Etymology 2

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Probably from alter ego.

Noun

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alter (plural alters)

  2. (psychology, multiplicity) One of the personalities, identities, or selves in a person with dissociative identity disorder or another form of multiplicity.
    Synonym: headmate
    • 2000, Elyn R. Saks, Stephen H. Behnke, Jekyll on Trial: Multiple Personality Disorder and Criminal Law, page 147:
      While the second goal would be best met if each alter were coconscious, the defendant should be satisfied if at least one competent alter is present to hear what transpires.

References

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Etymology 3

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Noun

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alter

  1. Misspelling of altar.
    • 2002, Nicholas Smeed, Resurrections: Vignettes About Discovery, Relationships, Personal Empowerment, And Preternatural Experiences, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 26:
      As an alter boy he remembered that walking between the alter and the gates was prohibited for everyone except the priest.
    • 2007, Jerry P. Martinez, Leche De Coyote, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 39:
      The hardest part of being an alter boy was learning Latin. The mass was conducted in Latin and we had to learn to pray in Latin.
    • 2009, Todd Sprague, Survive, Todd Sprague, →ISBN, page 142:
      On the alter, several candles sat unlit. An open bible rested among the candles. Behind the alter, hanging high, a huge cross was affixed to the wall, with a replica of Jesus in rags nailed to it. A simple wooden door stood closed behind the alter […]
    • 2011, Suzanne Dekeyzer James, The Stone Harp, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 146:
      Truth motioned to Alexandra, “There; the key is kept on the alter.” She spotted it easily, for it was now well lighted by an amber colored presence light. She and the others moved quickly toward the alter.
    • 2018, William Francis Jack, Alter Boy Rules, Lulu Press, Inc, →ISBN:
      Third-rate alter boy. Skinny, lousy face, brown hair with a cowlick as big as Sputtnik. So as not to go on about it, I can put it in one word: Butt-ugly.

See also

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Anagrams

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Danish

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Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia da

Etymology

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From Old Norse altari, from Old Saxon altari, from Late Latin altare (“altar”). Cognate with English altar and German Altar.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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alter n (singular definite altret or alteret, plural indefinite altre)

  1. (religion) altar, a table or a platform for making sacrifices.
  2. (Christianity) altar, the ritual space of a Christian church.

Inflection

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Declension of alter
neuter
gender 		singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative alter altret
alteret 		altre altrene
genitive alters altrets
alterets 		altres altrenes

References

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“alter” in Den Danske Ordbog

German

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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alter

  1. inflection of alt:
    1. strong/mixed nominative masculine singular
    2. strong genitive/dative feminine singular
    3. strong genitive plural

Indonesian

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From English alter, from Old French alterer (French altérer), from Medieval Latin alterare (“to make other”), from Latin alter (“the other”).

Verb

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altêr

  1. to alter, to tailor clothes to make them fit

Etymology 2

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Noun

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altêr

  1. (colloquial) Clipping of alter ego.

Further reading

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Latin

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Etymology

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From Proto-Italic *aliteros (“the other of two”). Akin to alius. Compare with ulter.[1]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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alter (feminine altera, neuter alterum); first/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er, pronominal)

  1. the other, the second
  2. the one...the other (alter...alter)
    • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico VII.17:
      De re frumentaria Boios atque Aeduos adhortari non destitit; quorum alteri, [...] non multum adiuvabant, alteri non magnis facultatibus, [...] celeriter quod habuerunt consumpserunt
      He never ceased to urge the Boii and Aedui for supplies; of whom the one (Aedui) [...] did not help much, the others (Boii) as their resources was not great, [...] quickly consumed what they had

Declension

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First/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er, pronominal).

singular plural
masculine feminine neuter masculine feminine neuter
nominative alter altera alterum alterī alterae altera
genitive alterī̆us alterōrum alterārum alterōrum
dative alterī alterīs
accusative alterum alteram alterum alterōs alterās altera
ablative alterō alterā alterō alterīs
vocative alter altera alterum alterī alterae altera

Derived terms

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Latin correlatives (edit)
type demonstrative anaphoric identity interrogative/
relative		 indefinite negative other
proximal medial distal relative indefinite free choice universal negative polarity
basic hic iste, istic ille, illic is ipse, īdem quis/quī quisquis, quīcumque quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quispiam quīvis, quīlibet quisque quisquam, ūllus, °aliquisquam nēmō, nihil, nūllus alius
dual uter utercumque alteruter utervīs, uterlibet uterque neuter alter
place hīc istīc illīc ibī̆ ibī̆dem ubī̆ ubiubi, ubī̆cumque alicubī, uspiam ubivīs, ubilibet ubīque usquam nusquam, nūllibī alibī, aliās
source hinc istinc illinc inde indidem unde undecumque, undeunde alicunde °undelibet undique aliunde
destination hūc, °hōrsum istūc, °istōrsum illūc, °illōrsum eō eōdem quō, quōrsum quōquō, quōcumque aliquō, quōpiam, °aliquōvorsum quōvīs, quōlibet quōquam nusquam, nūllōrsum aliō, aliōrsum
method,
means,
path,
place 		hāc istāc illāc eā eādem quā quāquā, quācumque aliquā quāvīs, quālibet quāque nēquāquam, haudquāquam aliā
manner hōc modō istō modō illō modō ita, sīc,
eō modō		 item, itidem ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum utut, utcumque, quōmodocumque quī, quōdam modō, aliquō modō quōmodolibet utīque ūllō modō nūllō modō aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō
time num, nunc ōlim tum, tunc simul quandō, ‡cum cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque quondam, aliquandō quandōlibet quandōque umquam numquam aliās
quantity tam †tamen, †tandem quam †quamquam aliquam quamvīs, quamlibet
size tantus tantusdem quantus quantuscumque aliquantus quantusvīs, quantuslibet
quality tālis quālis quālis, quāliscumque aliquālis quālislibet
number tot totidem quot quotquot, quotcumque aliquot quotlibet
order totus quotus quotuscumque aliquotus quotuslibet
repetition totiēns quotiēns quotiēnscumque aliquotiēns quotiēnslibet
multiplication totuplex quotuplex
† Turned conjunction with original meaning somewhat dissimulated
° Rare
‡only used as a conjunction, not as an interrogative

Descendants

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References

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  1. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “alius”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 34

Further reading

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  • “alter”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “alter”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • alter in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎[2], London: Macmillan and Co.
    • one or two days: unus et alter dies
    • one, two, several days had passed, intervened: dies unus, alter, plures intercesserant

Lombard

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Etymology

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Akin to Italian altro, from Latin alter.

Adjective

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alter

  1. other

Norwegian Bokmål

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Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology 1

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Noun

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alter n (definite singular alteret / altret, indefinite plural alter / altere / altre, definite plural altera / altra / altrene)

  1. an altar

Etymology 2

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Noun

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alter m

  1. indefinite plural of alt

Norwegian Nynorsk

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Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Alternative forms

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Noun

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alter n (definite singular alteret, indefinite plural alter, definite plural altera)

  1. an altar

Old High German

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Adjective

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altēr

  1. strong masculine nominative singular of alt
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